Disclaimer: I'm running kind of low on those sweet, witty one-liners today so let's get right down to it. As usual, I own nothing.

Also, I send out my condolences to the loved one of Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. Rest In Peace, Brain.


Chapter XXVIII

One big punch from the Hulk was all it took to send Darkseid flying into an 18-wheeler's trailer. The impact alone left a gigantic hole in the side, and the momentum tipped the 18-wheeler completely over. Darkseid pulled himself out of the rubble just in time to see the Hulk charging toward him and leaping into the air. The Hulk drew back his fist so he could bring them down right on top of Darkseid, but Darkseid struck back with an Omega Beam shot to the Hulk's chest. The blast knocked the Hulk out of the sky and to the street where he left a crater in his wake.

Darkseid rose back up to his feet and made a slow advance toward the Hulk when Superman suddenly came out of nowhere and pushed the despot back. They traveled several meters across the street, leaving a trail of asphalt before Darkseid drove his fist into Superman's back. A heavy kick sent Superman backward and down onto the street, but he recovered in time to see Darkseid charging toward him.

Superman reacted in time with a blast of super breath, which only barely slowed Darkseid down. Darkseid still pushed forward until he was right on top of Superman and he grabbed hold of the Man of Steel by the throat and hoisted him up off the asphalt. Superman tried to use heat vision but Darkseid clasped his free hand over Superman's eyes. The heat vision still projected out, but it was spread out across the street. Darkseid removed his hand to find Superman seemingly unconscious before slamming him back down into the street.

Darkseid knelt down and held Superman's head down with one hand. He inched his face closer and snarled, "Once again, you find yourself at my feet, Kal-El. This is exactly where you belong."

A nearly animalistic roar sounded and Darkseid looked up at the incoming, and airborne garbage truck. Having next to no time to react, Darkseid took the full force of the projectile as it slammed into to him and sent its contents flying. Superman started to recover just as the Hulk stomped passed him without a second thought. Instead, the Hulk focused all of his rage on the destroyed garbage truck that was quickly ripped opened from the inside. Darkseid stepped out with a stumble and he quickly caught sight of the Hulk.

The Hulk didn't wait for Darkseid to respond and rushed straight toward him with reckless abandon. Darkseid fired his Omega Beam full force and struck the Hulk directly in the chest, pushing the green behemoth back several steps. The Hulk roared in protest and quickly dug his fingers into the asphalt. The Omega Beam continued to push him back and his fingers left trails in the asphalt, but the Hulk finally halted in place. He could see Darkseid approaching him, his arms clasped behind him in the same casual manner as always. This angered the Hulk and he started pushing forward against the force of the Omega Beam. Darkseid soon noticed and started taking it seriously, intensifying the output of his attack. It still didn't seem to be enough, because the Hulk was getting closer… and angrier.

Once he was within range of Darkseid, the Hulk let out a bellow and threw a brutal punch. The punch was hard enough to actually loosing some of Darkseid's teeth. Darkseid was dazed and the Hulk instantly pressed his assault by first landing a viscous straight punch that sent Darkseid right back into the destroyed garbage truck. Darkseid pulled himself from the wreckage once again, this time wiping blood from his stone mouth and then smiling at the Hulk.

"Tell me, monster; is that really all you have to offer?" he asked.

"Stone faced man want more of Hulk? Hulk give more to stone faced man." the Hulk snarled before charging forward.

Darkseid jumped from the wreck and charged forward to meet the Hulk head on. The moment they were within range of each other, they each threw a hard punch. Both landed and sent a shockwave across the area, shattering the windows of nearby cars and building. Darkseid and the Hulk were each pushed back before the Hulk rushed forward. He caught Darkseid in the jaw and pushed him back a few feet. Darkseid fired an Omega Beam into the Hulk's waiting hand as the monster pushed forward, but Darkseid intensified the blast until the Hulk drew his hand back.

Seeing an opening, Darkseid landed a heavy punch that rocked the Hulk, and then he pressed his assault with an onslaught of brutal punches to the Hulk's face. The Hulk responded with a vicious backhand that sent Darkseid into a car, but Darkseid responded by picking up that same car and tossing at the Hulk. The Hulk caught the car and tore it in half, smashed the two halves together and charged forward. Darkseid met the Hulk's charge and they closed again.

The Hulk used the two halves of the destroyed car like gloves and startled pummeling Darkseid, eventually knocking him down to the ground. Pinning Darkseid down, the Hulk continued beating him as each hit shattered his makeshift gloves. Once there was nothing left of the gloves, the Hulk went bare fisted and grabbed Darkseid by his throat. He went to land a heavy punch but Darkseid caught the blow before it landed. Then Darkseid hit the Hulk with his own straight punch that forced the Hulk off of him. Darkseid then displayed surprising agility, grabbing the Hulk's free arm and tossing him over his shoulder toward the opposite end of the street where he crashed hard into the asphalt.

"You may possess nearly god-like power but against that of an actual god, it amounts to nothing," Darkseid claimed as he sauntered forward and stood over the Hulk. "I am not without mercy, however. Swear your allegiance to me and I shall make you a true god."

The Hulk snarled at Darkseid and this was enough indication that he wasn't interested. Darkseid smirked as he hoisted his foot up, ready to curb stomp the Hulk. Then out of nowhere, Superman swooped in and landed a gigantic punch that sent Darkseid across the length of the street. As soon as Darkseid recovered, Superman was on him and landing a slew of hits to the face that ended with a hammer fist to the back of the head. Superman halted his assault for no more than a split second, and Darkseid responded with a hard backhand strike.

Superman went into the air where he managed to recover and rushed back at Darkseid. Darkseid sidestepped Superman, caught his left leg and spun him around. He released his grip and sent Superman back where the Hulk was recovering. The Man of Steel recovered as the Hulk stared him down. They then turned their collective gaze at Darkseid, who once again had his arms behind his back as if none of the past ten minutes never happened.

"Struggle if you wish, Kal-El. This world is already mine." Darkseid claimed.

Superman glanced at the Hulk, who was eager to continue the fight. Looking back at Darkseid, Superman replied, "Not as long as there's someone to stand in your way."

"That is a issue that can be easily remedied." Darkseid claimed.


Captain America rushed in between every projectile that came at him, using his shield to deflect most of them and dodging others. In his haste, he beat down any random solider and Parademon with a combination of shield and hand-to-hand strikes. One energy projectile surprised him and sent him tumbling to the ground, but he was able to block another shot with his shield. A duo of soldiers quickly converged on him, so Captain America rose up and fought them off singlehandedly. The in Parademon was a different story once it dropped in front of him.

Before the Parademon could take a swipe at Cap, Aquaman rushed the beast with his trident pointed outward. The trident impaled the Parademon and dropped it to the ground before Aquaman pulled his weapon. Three more Parademons arrived and Aquaman pushed forward and took the fight to all three of them. He landed a string of stabs and swipes on two of the creatures before the third moved to get drop on him. But that Parademon was blasted out of sight by Cyborg.

Cyborg fired a volley of blasts at group of soldiers and more Parademons as they came until one Parademon landed right behind him. Cyborg instantly reacted with series of hard strikes before quickly ducking and fired a point blast shot right to its chest. Another Parademon ambushed Cyborg and dropped him to the ground, but Cyborg activated a defensive shield that stunned the creature when it touched him. Taking advantage, Cyborg blasted the creature. Aquaman and Captain America regrouped with Cyborg.

"These things just keep coming, don't they?" Cap asked.

"Darkseid has near limitless troops at his disposal. At the least, we're facing a localized invasion force." Aquaman stated.

"At the worst, this is just a symptom of a larger scale." Cyborg claimed.

"How bad?" Cap said.

Cyborg replied, "Global!"

Cap quickly pressed a finger to his helmet. "Stark, tap me into Jocasta."

"Yeah, I don't think now's the time for that sort of thing, Cap." Iron Man quipped.

"Not what I meant." Cap clarified.

"Oh… sorry." Iron Man said.

Then Jocasta chimed into Cap built-in communicator. "I'm here, Captain Rogers."

"I need a global update. Get me any information you can on this invasion and if it's widespread." Cap said.

"I can already confirm it, Cap. There are Boom Tubes opening across the world in various locations, including Wakanda and Genosha. There's also a second Boom Tube that's just opened in Hell's Kitchen. The Defenders are trying to hold their ground along with Spider-Man and the Punisher." Jocasta said.

"What about Wakanda and Genosha?" Cap said.

"Black Panther is defending Wakanda with Ant-Man and the Wasp. The X-Men and the Brotherhood are fighting an invasion force in Genosha. Doctor Strange is there as well." Jocasta said.

Before Cap could say anything, a sudden projectile blast struck near him, Aquaman and Cyborg. The attack appeared to originate from an office building that was crawling with Parademons, and most of them had energy weapons. The tactical advantage made it easy for the creatures to take potshots at the trio of heroes. But then a force field around Cap, Aquaman and Cyborg, and Cap noticed the Invisible Woman concentrating to keep the field. Behind her, Mister Fantastic and the Thing were fighting off the soldiers trying to move on them.

As they did, the Flash ran passed them then up the side of the building. Moving at breakneck speed, the Flash zipped in between every Parademon and landed a lighting quick punch to nearly each one. Some Parademons remained but only because the Flash ignored them and continued up the building until he reached the top. He leapt up from the ledge and launched into the air before coming back down. It was the same drill as before but going down this time, and the Flash landed more solid shots.

Some of the Parademons disengaged from the building, but that was exactly what the Flash wanted. Down in the streets below, Vibe and Killer Frost combined their attacks. Vibe blasted one Parademon after another with a sonic blast while Killer Frost froze them in the air. The frozen Parademons fell to the ground and shattered on impact. Vibe gave Killer Frost a sly smirk just before he noticed a group of soldiers rushing toward her from behind. Killer Frost noticed another group of soldiers rushing toward Vibe.

In tandem, they pushed passed each other and went back to back before cutting loose on each group with their powers. The Flash rushed back down the building and struck the soldiers with rapid fire punches. Some soldiers managed to get close enough to Killer Frost and Vibe, but the Flash knocked them down before they could react.

"You know we had this under control, right, Barry?" Frost asked just as the Flash stopped running.

"Yeah, could've fooled me." the Flash replied.

"Heads up, Barry!" Vibe shouted before blasting a Parademon that was about to strike the Flash.

"Dude…?!" the Flash snapped.

Vibe shrugged and said, "What? I said 'heads up.'"

The Flash chuckled just before he spotted a trio of hover tanks approaching. The tanks had gotten close to the three heroes to wipe them out before they'd have any chance to react, but one of the tanks was suddenly hit in the side by a string of missiles. Above the damaged tank, Iron Man and War Machine appeared. Iron Man cut loose with a repulsar blast to damage the tank further, while War Machine fired his mini-gun to bring it down.

The other two tanks moved to engage the armored fliers, but Captain Marvel and Green Lantern attacked it before it had a chance. Marvel blasted the tank in one of its turrets, while Lantern forged a buzz saw to cut of the other turret. Iron Man finished it with a rocket and caused it to explode while the Flash rushed Vibe and Killer Frost away from the debris.

The third and final tank opened fire with a volley of shots, forcing the quartet of heroes to scatter. The Human Torch swooped into view and engulfed the tank in fire. The tank was enflamed but still operational enough to turn its attention to the Torch. Before it could attack, Vision arrived with his density increased. He flew directly into the tank and rammed into it, causing it to list and slam down into the street.

As all this was happening, Captain America, Aquaman and Cyborg continued to fight off more hordes of enemies. One of the Parademons got like and knocked Captain America to the ground. Before the creature could kill him, it was suddenly struck by a single arrow that then exploded. Cap looked toward the location to see Hawkeye in the distance firing an arsenal of trick arrows at anything that wasn't human. This assault drew the attention of the other creatures.

While Hawkeye fired his arrows, Batman swung into the fray holding Black Widow in his free arm and then dropping her. In free fall, Black Widow fired a series of stingers to the faces of several Parademons and shocked them. She dropped in between two of them and landed some hard blows to the legs, dropping them to one knee each. Then Batman leapt over one of them, planting explosive gel on its face and then detonating.

The creature was blinded further, and Batman fired his grapple gun at its legs. He pulled hard and tripped it up. Hawkeye ruched into the fray and fired another group of arrows and each had varying effects on the creatures. Black Widow took out her guns and started shooting the remaining creatures. Some of them took the shots and kept coming, but then Raven appeared before them and engulfed them in darkness.

In the brief respite to follow, the Avengers and the Justice League regrouped and Cap asked Widow, "What's the story, Romanoff?"

"Darkseid knocked the Quinjet out of the air. We're grounded." Widow explained.

"Hulk and Superman are taking the fight to Darkseid directly, but I'm not sure how long that'll last." Hawkeye added.

"We're outnumbered as it is, and Darkseid has these portals opening all across the world. The X-Men, the Defenders and even Black Panther, Ant-Man and Wasp have their hands full." Cap said just as Iron Man landed beside him.

"I tried contacting S.H.I.E.L.D. but their having the same issues." Iron Man claimed.

"We need to stop this invasion at the source and Darkseid's command ship is what's leading the invasion. If we can take out that ship, we take out Darkseid's armies." Batman explained.

"That's feasible?" Cap asked.

"Cyborg's armor is made up of Mother Box technology. He should be able to interface with command ship's controls." Batman stated.

"I can't do it from here though. I've got to get inside the command ship and do it manually." Cyborg clarified.

"Something tells me Darkseid's not going to stand for that." Captain Marvel stated.

Captain America turned to Iron Man and said to him, "Stark, you and Cyborg and find a way to bring the command ship under your control."

"I kind of doubt that Darkseid is willing to share his tech." Iron Man said.

"We'll provide a distraction for Darkseid. I need you three to stand by until we make our move." Cap then turned to War Machine and told him, "Rhodes, I need you to take the Fantastic Four and head for Hell's Kitchen. The Defenders can't hold their ground forever, even with Spider-Man and the Punisher helping them."

"You got it, Cap." War Machine said before he launched into the air.

"Good luck, Captain Rogers." Mister Fantastic said before the Invisible Woman formed a sphere around herself, Fantastic and the Thing. The Human Torch followed.

Afterward, Captain America addressed the remaining heroes and said to them, "We need to clear a path to the command ship and ensure that Iron Man and Cyborg can get that thing under control or bring it down altogether."

"We're going to need Thor and Wonder Woman too. They're the last two heavy hitters we've got aside from Superman and Hulk." Hawkeye said.

"I can go grab them and then we can regroup with you afterwards." the Flash said.

"Do it, Flash," Cap said, and the Flash sped out of sight. Cap then turned to the rest of the heroes and said, "It's now or never. Avengers, Justice League… time to go to work."


Thor hammered a Parademon in the face as it was coming at him before landing a precision swing on another one that tried to ambush him. Three more Parademons pushed forward and Thor threw Mjolnir directly at them. The hammer slammed into the face of two of the creatures, but the third one managed to avoid the blow. A false sense of security cost the lone Parademon as Thor summoned back the hammer, which then struck the Parademon in the back of the head before returning to Thor.

Across from Thor, Wonder Woman battled another group of Parademons. The Lasso of Truth was her primary weapon, and she used it to keep some of the creatures at bay. At least several Parademons managed to push forward toward Wonder Woman, and she responded in kind with an onslaught of quick whips of the Lasso. She snagged the arms of one of the creatures and pulled hard on it to bring the creature closer and then landing a swift roundhouse kick to the jaw. Then alternatively, she tripped another Parademon and swung all the way around her vicinity.

The hapless Parademon crashed uncontrollably into another Parademon, and neither one of them was ready for Wonder Woman to rush them. Wonder Woman jumped into the air and came back down, landing a pair of kicks to each of the Parademon. But Wonder Woman was herself unprepared to be ambushed by yet another Parademon that actually landed a straight punch to her face. Wonder Woman recovered quickly and glared at the Parademon before she landed a brutal punch right to its teeth.

Another Parademon tried to ambush Wonder Woman from behind, but the hammer-wielding Thor suddenly cracked it in the head. Thor helped Wonder Woman up before he cracked another Parademon with Mjolnir, while Wonder Woman returned to a whipping assault with the Lasso of Truth. The two warriors went back to back as more enemies converged on them and surrounded them.

"I'll say this for Darkseid's minion; they don't know when to give up." Thor commented.

"That's usually their loss." Wonder Woman replied.

"I've no doubt of that." Thor said as he prepared to resume the fight.

But before Thor and Wonder Woman could attack, the Flash suddenly rushed into the fray. Moving at breakneck speed, the Flash wiped out every single Parademon within range of his strikes. He mixed a series of rapid punches and swift kicks and shoulder tackles. It was a shame that Thor and Wonder Woman couldn't see what was happening since the Flash was moving so quickly. All they saw were the Parademons dropping to the ground all in one motion before the Flash stopped right in front of them.

After briefly looking at his handy work, the Flash had to jokingly say, "I'm sorry. Were these your punching bags? I kind of got carried away."

"It's no problem at all, Flash. Don't worry about it." Wonder Woman said.

"Oh good, because the star-spangled man with a plan needs us. Both teams are making a push straight at Darkseid."

"Good. I've still unfinished business with the tyrant… and more than enough hammers to the face." Thor said as he spun Mjolnir around and then launched into the air.

Wonder Woman and the Flash looked up toward Thor's path and the Flash said, "I'm really glad he's on our side."

"So am I." Wonder Woman before she took flight as well and the Flash bolted after her.


Captain America quickly ducked behind a partially damaged car while Black Widow and Hawkeye quickly joined him. Looking through the interior of the car, Captain America could easily see the Hulk and Superman battling Darkseid with everything they had… and Darkseid was holding his own. Aquaman, Green Lantern and Captain Marvel joined them at their location while Vision took up a separate position across from them. He had Raven, Vibe and Killer Frost. Cap looked around for Iron Man but found no sign of him or Cyborg.

Pressing his finger to his helmet, Cap said, "Stark, are you in position?"

"We're in position and waiting on your call it, Cap." Iron Man said.

"Cap…" Widow said, and Cap looked ahead to see hordes of soldiers and Parademons converging on the two teams.

"On my mark, Tony." Cap said.

"So again, the overall plan of a attack is cut swath through a bunch of alien bad guys to get to the really ugly alien bad guy and not get killed." Hawkeye said.

"Pretty much, Barton." Cap claimed.

Hawkeye shrugged and readied a trio of arrows for his bow. "Good thing I stocked up on arrows."

Just then, Thor, Wonder Woman and the Flash arrived and Thor said, "Nice to see you haven't started the fight without us, Captain."

Cap nodded before he brought Thor up to speed. "We're going to push straight ahead for Darkseid while Iron Man takes Batman and Cyborg for the command ship."

"Those soldiers and Parademons won't make it easy for us." Wonder Woman stated.

"We're not going to make it on them." Cap said.

Meanwhile across the battlefield, Kalibak stomped forward in front of the hordes was rage in his eyes. "Armies of Apokolips, destroy these fools and deliver them as tribute to the Lord Darkseid." On that command, the Parademons took flight and the soldiers stormed forward with Kalibak leading the way.

"Make the call, Captain." Batman said.

Captain America stood up and raised his shield high before shouting loudly, "Avengers, Justice League… PUSH FORWARD!"

And all at once, the Avengers and the Justice League charged into battle as one… and off in the shadowy sidelines, somehow still alive after being blasted away by Darkseid, Doctor Doom was quietly bidding his time. It was just a question of against whom would he strike.

TO BE CONTINUED…


Author's Note: That's it for Part IV, and I think it's safe to say that things are about to get really crazy… as if that hasn't happened already. We got Superman and the Hulk taking it to Darkseid while the rest of the heroes continue to beat down Darkseid's minions.

I also took the time to briefly explain the absence of the other Marvel heroes, as they're all fighting Darkseid's forces across the planet. And apparently, Doctor Doom lives, but who's side is he on? The final battle is fast approaching so stay tuned and leave few reviews. Peace out, Humanoids!

In Memory of
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
1944-2017